Tube-expander.



No. 892,981. PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

F H CUNNINGHAM. 1

' TUBE BXPANDER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 19Q7.

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ATTORNEY PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

No. 892,981- (JUNNINGHAM- v I TUBE BXPANDER. 1 APPLICATION FILED NOV 7 1907 3 ums-SHEET 2- INVEN'i-OR' ATTORNEY 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' PATENTED JULY 14, 1908; P. H. CUNNINGHAM. I

TUBE EXPANDBR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1907.

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. INVENTOR AfiiTONEY UNITED. srArns PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. CUNNINGHAM, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM E. NEWLIN, OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE-THIRD TO JAMES MCNAMARA, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TUBE-EXPANDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

Application filed November 7, 907. Serial No. 401,063.

- specification.

My invention relates to what is commonly known as tube expanders and my purpose 1s primarily to expand the ends of tubes in boiler heads, but it is applicable for use in expanding and sizing the ends of tubes for other apparatus than boilers.

he object of my invention is to provide a tool of the character mentioned which shall have the rollers supported so as not to be bent or broken, which shall have the expanding mandrel guided and protected within the expander head, which shall have a ready and reliable means for adjusting the mandrel, and which may be supported on boilers or other tubular structures without regard to the size of the tube or their distance apart.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tool embodying my invention, the hood being in section and the driving shaft broken away; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of Fig. 1 Fig. 3, a front elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4-4 on Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a erspective of the outer section of the expan er head; Fig. 6, a perspective of one of the rollers and its carrier; Fig. 7, a section on the line 7-7 on Fig. 2; Fig. 8, a section on the line 8-8 on Fig. 2; 9, a fragmentary sectional view, showing an attachment for supporting the 7 tool in a boiler head; and Fig. 10, a fragment partly in section and partly in side elevation showing the tool with an attachment for siz-- ing the ends of tubes.

On the drawings, 1 is the base of the frame which supports the movable parts of the expander. The base supports a pair of standards 2, in which is journaled the sleeve3 and between which and on the sleeve 3, the pinion 4 is secured. The standards carry also the driving shaft 5 provided with the pinion 6 meshing with the pinion 4. 7 is a driving pulley secured to the shaft 5.

The expander head 8 is made of two sections divided by a plane at a right angle to its axis of rotation. The cylindrical rear section 9 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 3 in front of the forward standard 2. The front section 10 of the head is of the same diameter as the section 9 and is secured thereto by the screws 11. The section 9 extends forward of the sleeve 3 and is shown with four radial slots 12 in the extension. The section 10 has four radial slots. 13 which register with the slots 12 to form four continuous slots with closed rear and front ends and extendin from the eriphery of the head to the centra openin t erein.

A ro er carrier 14 is seated in each slot and has a slot 15 in which a spring 16 is secured. Each spring is shown to be of flat steel with the ends curved and seated against the annular shoulders 17 in the interior of the head, the shoulders being formed by enlarging the diameter of the central opening in the head. The ends of the carriers 14 have the strips 18 secured thereto which project radially beyond the carrier body and form retainers for the rollers 19, which have at each end a pin 20 fitting in an opening in a strip 18. The pin 20 does not receive the radial thrust of the rollers during the working of the expander, this thrust being received by the outwardly projecting arms 21 on the body of the-carrier 14. This gives the rollers a bearing for their full size except for the narrow slots 15. The springs 16 act to retract the carriers when they are free to move toward the axis of the head 8.

Within the sleeve 3 is the mandrel 22, which has a tapering forward end against which the bases of the carriers 14 are seated.

These bases are inclined to correspond to the taper of the mandrel. The forward end of the head 8 contains a rod 23 which projects into the hollow forward end of the man drel to guide, protect and su port the same. The rear end of the mandrel as the head 24, which is secured to the swivel socket 25 by the pin 26. An adjusting screw 27 has its head 28 swiveled in the said socket. The screw extends through an opening in the rear end of the socket and its head rests against the interior face of the flange around the said opening. The front end of the head 28 is seated against the rear end of the head 24 of the mandrel. By this construction, the

ciently to receive the end of mandrel and screw must move longitudinally together, but the mandrel may rotate while the screw is prevented from rotation.

A casing 29 is secured to the rear of the rear standard 2. Itcontains a large forward bore 30, serving as a bearing for the socket piece 25 and a rear smaller bore 31 for the screw 27. The rear of the casing 29 has a reduced portion or extension 32 secured within the swivel socket 33 by the pins 34. The extension 32 has a pin 35 which extends into the longitudinal groove 36 in the screw to prevent the rotation of the latter.

The nut 37 is adapted to the screw2 7 and has its head 38 swiveled in the socket 33 in the same manner that the screw is swiveled in the socket 25. The nut extends out through the rear end of the socket 33, where it is provided with the hand wheel 39 keyed thereto.

The base 1 is provided in its bottom (Fig. 9) with the threaded hole 40 in which the stem 41 is secured. This stem is provided with two fingers 42 and 43, slidable thereon and secured thereto in the desired adjustment by the set-screws 44. A number of removable collars or sleeves 45 of various diameters are made to slip on the fingers. These collars are preferably hollow cylinders and are not composed of expansible sections; they are each of constant diameter at any given cross-section. 3

The front of the tool is provided with the circular flange or face 46 of larger diameter than the expander head, this face being preferably in the plane through the rear ends of the slots 12. The face of this flange is recessed slightly to the rear end of the said slots. Referring to Fig. 10, it will be seen that I have secured to the said flange a forwardly projecting die or sleeve 47, concentric with the head 8 and spaced therefrom suffia tube 48 to be sized.

The sleeve 3 is provided with the V-shaped annular groove 49 to receive the tapered end of the screw 50 working in one of the standards 2. The standards or housings 2 are covered by the hood 51.

I do not limit myself to the use of the rollers 19 as different types of tools can take their places, nor do I desire to restrict myself in other respects to the precise details and combinations shown and described.

The expaneler is, in use, placed in front of a boiler head with the expander head 8 in the end of a tube to be expanded and with the two sleeves 45 in two boiler tubes so as to support the expander during its operation.

As the collars 45 are removable, collars of the right diameter to fill the boiler tube may be selected and placed on the fingers 42 and 43. The fingers being adjustable on the stem 41 can be made to accommodate themselves to boiler heads whatever the distance between the tubes may be. Power being applied to the pulley 7,- the expander head will be rotated in the boiler tube. As the head rotates the hand wheel is rotated so as to force the mandrel 22 forward, thus the carriers to move simultaneously outwardly and force the wall of the tube to a tight fit within the opening in the boiler head in a manner well-known. The mandrel is free to rotate while the screw cannot rotate. The mandrel is rigidly supported and guided where the pressure is exerted thereon in such a manner as to prevent its being crushed or bent. The mandrel can not be flexed by any irregularities in the pipe. The springs 16 at once retract the carriers 14 when the mandrel is backed oil so that the head 8 may be readily removed. These springs hold the carriers retracted so that the head may be easily inserted in tubes.

In case it is desired to size the end. of a tube, the die 47, shown on Fig. 10 is used, the rollers forcing the tube-end out evenly against the face of the die.

I claim' 1. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, carriers movable outwardly therein, rollers supported by said carriers, bearings on the carriers to receive the body of the rollers without reduction in their diameter and means carried by the rollers and the carrier to prevent their displacement.

2. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, carriers movable outwardly therein, rollers supported by said carriers, pins in the ends of the rollers, bearings on the carriers to receive the body of the rollers without reduction in their diameter, and projections on the carriers to cooperate with said. pins to prevent the separation of the rollers and their respective carriers. 3

3. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, outwardly movable die-carriers therein, a rotary mandrel for moving the carriers outwardly, a screw swiveled to the mandrel, means for preventing the rotation of the screw, and a non-traveling nut to cause the 1011 itudinal travel of the screw and mandreT.

4. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, outwardly movable die-carriers therein, a rotary mandrel to move the carriers outwardly, a swivel-socket in which the mandrel is held, a screw for moving the mandrel, means for securing said screw in said socket, means to prevent the rotation of the screw, and a nut to move the screw and mandrel longitudinally.

5. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, outwardly movable die-carriers therein, a rotary mandrel to move the carriers outward y, a screw to move the mandrel longitudinally, a rotary swivel-socket to connect the mandrel and screw, a casing having an opening to form a bearing for the swivelsocket, means in the casing to prevent the causing rotation of the screw, and a nut swiveled in the casing for moving the screw longitudi nally.

6. In an ex anding tool, a machine frame,

5 a rotary hea thereon, expanding tools in the head adapted to operate in a boiler tube,

a support connected with the frame, fingers adjustable on the support, and removable collars each of constant diameter on said fingers, said collars being of a size to fit in tubes adjacent to said tube to be expanded. 7. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, outwardly movable die-carriers thereon,

springs secured in openings in the carriers and extending transversely of the axis of the head, and

shoulders Within the head arranged to support the springs so as to give the carriers a tendency to move toward the said axis.

8. In an expanding tool, a rotary head, outwardly movable die-carriers therein, springs secured to the carriers and extending transversely of the axis of the head, an shoulders within the head arranged to support the springs so as to give the carriers a tendency to move toward the said axis.

Signed at Pittsburg, Pa, this fourth day of November, 1907.

FRANK H. CUNNINGHAM.

Witnesses:

ALICE E. DUFF, F. N. BARBER; w h v g 

